Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms are available to ensure that officers who are found to have failed to appropriately investigate serious offences are held accountable.

Members of the public have access to the statutory police complaints system if they are dissatisfied with the service they have received, or to raise concerns about policing where they are directly impacted.

Most police complaints are dealt with by the local police force, with an opportunity for escalation and for independent review. Reviews are conducted either by the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), or Mayor with PCC functions, or by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The most serious and sensitive types of complaint or misconduct allegations identified internally must immediately be referred by the police to the IOPC for consideration. The mandatory referral criteria include incidents of deaths or serious injuries involving the police or allegations of serious corruption. Investigations by the IOPC and by police forces are conducted independently of Government.

This Government launched an independent, end-to-end review on 30 July into the police accountability system. The review will examine the timeliness, efficiency, and effectiveness of the systems for holding police to account.